Titration method and tablet therefor



Patented Jan. 12, 1932 FAY H. GUERNSEY,

or CLEVELAND, 01x10, AssIGNoR To THE, ELEernIo sMnL'rIne & V .ALUMINUM COMPANY, orcLnvnnAnn-omo TIITRATION' MET-HOD nn TABLET THEREFOR No Drawing.

This invention relates to the testing of hypochlorite' solutions to ascertain the strength thereof. f

Heretofore, the testing of hypochlorite or bleaching solutions toascertain the quantity of available chlorine which is the equivalent of the strength of the solution, has been possible only by the use ofrelatively elaborate and expensive volumetric apparatus, the use of which requires the services of a trained technician. V v r I An object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means by which a nontechnical operator .may determine the strength of commercial hypochlorite solutions, without "complicated or elaborate apparatus, or extensive knowledge and experienceinperforming chemical processes; with which results may be obtained which are suf ficiently accurate for commercial purposes;;

with which minimum number of mathematicalcalculations will be required; with whichz'only calculations of simplemultiplication will be required to calculate the strength of a solution; with which the possi bility of errors in thetesting of a solution will be reduced to a minimum; with which the testing may be easily carried out, and which; will be relatively simple, dependable, safe and inexpensive.

, Various other obJeCts and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an example of the invention, and the novel features will 'beparticularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims. 7 V p In accordance withthis invention, a.suit-.

able reducing agent such as a thio-sulphate of an alkali metal is produced in tablet form and of standard strengtlnthe tablets having a suitable excipient, such-as starch, talcum or stearic acid, to. dilute the active material and lubricate the mass so that it will not stick to the punches and dies in the tabletmachine. Such tablets are added oneby one; to a prepared solution containing a standard quantityof the; solution of. unknown strength to a be tested. vBy determining the number of tablets required to efiect the titration of the solution, the strengthiof the solutioncan be Application filed 0ctoberi22,'1829. Serial NoQAOLClY,

tablets.

quickly and easily-calculated directly, such a'sby the mere multiplicationof the number of tabletsrequired by a know n factor which is determined by the quantityv of standard reducing agent incorporated in; each tablet. v

The preparation iof' the tablets may be carried out in any suitable manner, -Fo'r ex ample, the reducing agent, the excipient and any other ingredient may be mixed together as a.pas"te, dried and: granulated, a-ndthen compressed intotablets the usual manner. I have found that sodium thio-sulphatej is a satisfactory reducing, agent-for this purpose,

an'dthis thio sulphate maybe incorporated inztablets with active and inert excipients. I

I prefer to include 'in each tablet a quantity of a medium which will accelerate the disintegrationeof the tablet when the tablet is placed a liquid. .Anvof the known effervescing materials frequentlyused for efi iervescent tablets, may belused for this purpose- I have. found that sodium bicarbonate is asatisfactoryand inexpensive mediu11i for ,this purpose, andrmay be. incorporated in 'the tabletinanv desired quantity. A quantity'of starchpniayalso be incorporated in each tablet, -as anexcipient. and also as an indicating medium to assist .inithe' titration; The tablets so prepared should have such standardized grainage and proportion that each tablet is equivalent to a selected percentage of available chlorine when a hypochlorite solution is titrated with the The techniquecommonly employed in the use ofsuchtablets is as followsz A known quantity of asampleof the hypochlorite so- .lution to be tested is measuiredoutand placed in a suitable container, A simple but, ac-

curate method of measuring such a solution by the use of aceticborother suitable acid. The tablets are now added one by oneueach tablet being allowed to disintegrate before the next tablet is added, the liquid 'beingleo' 4 7 is by the use of a pipette of s'tan'dard'capacity,

9 5 dere'd acid. in: any. suitable; manner, such as v agitated during the disintegration of the tablets in order to insure uniform distribution of. the reducing agent contained in the tablet throughout the sample solution. The acid of thesolution will react with the bicarbonate of soda in the tablets'and accelerate the disintegration *oi't the tablet; The gas liberated in the reaction upon the bicarbonate of soda will also a 'itatethe solution. H

- tain starchpthe addition oftablets isco'ntinned until the brown coloration is discharged or eliminated. If starch is included in thetablets, or addedifto .-the;solution,.the

Knowing 'ithe'number of tablets required to solution, if-no st eliminate the. color in the, solution, one can readily calculatejthestrength of the hypochlorite' solutionvin simple manner-,v-s'uch as by.multiplying the number of 'tabletsrequiredito"discharge oreliminate the color by {a known factor depending upon the standard quantity of reduc'ing agentineach tablet, and by properly determining, the factor, the answerc'an. be obtained'directlyini terms of percentage, grams per litre, e'tc., by such aasimple multiplication. V

I :It is not even necessary that the non technicalfoperator-know the capacity of the pipette or 'other measuring unit. All that the operator needs to ascertain is the number of table'tsfrequired, and the factor used with those tablets,- and then the answer may be obtained by simple multiplication following the titration or by reference to a simple chart.

The potassium'iodide, is normally colorless-maybe added to the solution in any iodine which imparts brown .;color, to -the arch;isjpresentfand arblue color,'if starch is present-1;; 7 f r According to. this "process,' the operator really calculates thel'amount of iodine-{re leased and not theavailable chlorine directly."

In other words, the analysis is based onithe V fact that ajhypochlorite byroxidation will liberate quantitative amounts of iodine from potassium iodide and --by, detern1ining' the amount ofiiodine released, one may readily calculate back and :ascertain the oxidation. value ofthe hypochlorite which was the realpurpose-of the tester titration. The chemithe strength ofa hypochlorite solution, .so. as

. to ayoidexcessive damagetoltextiles. "For ex? ample, theuse ofa hypochloritesoluti0nhav v a V a 1 Vmination Withfsufiicient accuracy; Assuming first t rat the tablets donot con-' acidic; liquid will i accelerate disintegration the,solutionandthenj calculate the stren h V of :thei hypoclilorite I solution by" multiply ng the number of tablets required in-the titr a directly."

ing a strength. greater than one per cent is commonly considereddangerous to textiles l v andfshould notbe used in laundry work at the temperatures employed. At the same The any" apparatus required with ibis-liar .vention i's'a simple measuring unit, a receptacle and the tabletsfand theoperator need a not even know the character-go f the reactions taking placer? It will be obvious that variousfchangesi'n the details andmaterials, which have been herein recited in order to explain thefnatu're of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art withinfthe' principleand scope of the inventionflas. expressed in the appended 1. A tit ration tablet containi g s standard quantity of athiosulphate of an alkali metal, anexcipient, and a medium which willaccel percentage ofj available clil orinewhenl a. hypochlorite solution is titrated-with the. tablets,- whereby a non technic'al operator may -titrate afmeasured standard "quantity ofa' hypochlorite solution by a'ddition;of -thei1JQ 1 tablets one 'by on'e to the s'o'lution'and' then .I calculate the strength of the hypo'chlorite' solutionbymultiplyung the number. 'of tablets f required in the 'tit'ration' by a known factor to giyethe strengthdi-rectly; .2; A titrationtablet containing a standard quantity of a'reducing agent, an excipient I anda'me'dium which in the presence'pf an of the tablet and agitation of that-liquid,

tablet having therein such graina e and pro-.- portion' of the agent that-it is equivalent to'a selected prcentage" of available chlorine 7 when T an acidic lhypochlorite solution is 115 titrated with r the tablets, 'whe'reby a-{nonte'ch-ni'cal operator "may 't'itrate "a measured standard quantity of a'hypochlorite solution by the addition ofthe tablets onef-byone to was man teet r qe-e ere h 3. A titration au containing engined excipient, sodium 7bi carb'onate,}and V a stand- I ard quantityof'sodium thiosulphatefwhere-f bye;non-technicaloperator may-'titrate -a 'iiieasured'jstandard quantity of ahypochlorite: solution whose strengthistoibetested, by y c n when the tablet is placed in; a liquid,-' each 7 the addition of the tablets to such solution one by one, and then calculate the strength of the hypochlorite solution by multiplying the number of tablets required in the titration b a known factor to give the strength direct y. I V

4. A titration tablet containing a standard quantity of a thiosulphate of an alkali metal, an excipient, and a quantity of starch a substance which when the tablet is placed in an acid liquid will accelerate disintegration of the tablet and agitation of that liquid.

5. A titration tablet comprising a thiosul-' phate of an alkali metal, sodium bicarbonate and starch. v

6. A process of calculating the oxidation value of a hypochlorite solution, which comprises rendering the solution acid, adding potassium iodide to the solution, and adding tablets containing a thiosulphate of an alkali metal of standardized grainage and bicarbonate of soda, one by one, to said solution 7 until the color disappears, whereby one can directly calculate the strength of the hypochlorite solution by the relative number of 7 tablets required.

7. A process for calculating the oxidation =value of a hypochlorite solution, which comprises rendering the solution acid in the presence of available combined iodine, and measuring the quantity of free iodine released by the addition to the solution of tablets, each containing a standardized quantity of a thiosulphate of an alkali metal with bicarbonate of soda, the tablets being added one by one at intervals long enough to enable disintegration of the tablets and agitation of the solution by the escape of gas from the soda, whereby the strength of the hyopchlorite solution will be indicated by the number of tablets required to eliminate the color caused by the free iodine.

FAY 7H. GUERNSEY. 

